Windows 10, the stealth OS

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols |
Sept. 21, 2015

Whether we want it or not, Microsoft has been downloading Windows 10 to our Windows 7 and 8.x PCs. Friendly gesture, or intrusive power play?

And, of course, I don’t use Windows 10’s built-in apps. The Mail app, in particular, tends to blow up with messy results for Outlook.com or Office 365 users. And let’s not even talk about Windows Store, which seems to spend more time frozen than working.

You know what? On second thought, I really, really don’t want Microsoft shoving Windows 10 down to my computers until I’m good and ready.

I also really don’t like Microsoft telling me that automatically downloading a new, radically different operating system “is an industry practice that reduces time for installation and ensures device readiness.” Because it’s not.

I’ve been working in IT for closing in on 30 years now, and writing about it for almost as long, and never once has any company pushed a new operating system on me in the normal course of business. Yes, programs do that sometimes. Chrome and Firefox spring to mind, but operating systems are a lot bigger deal than Web browsers.

Microsoft has since retracted that “industry practice” line, but it still rankles, and I’m still annoyed at having Windows 10 forced into my machines.

Say I was a system administrator. Would I want my users having Windows 10 appearing on their PCs? No, I wouldn’t. I’d have enough trouble keeping porn and games off their boxes without contending with a brand-new Windows OS.

Even at home, though, when I enable Windows Update automatic updates, I just want the top security patches for the operating system I already have, not a whole freaking operating system.

Let me make this simple for you, Microsoft. The next time you want to promote your next-generation operating system, in 2020 or so, do not shove it down my throat.